Tihany is a jewel of not only the Balaton but also Hungary. The twin-towered church of the peninsula is visible from afar. Protruding deep into the lake, the 5km long and 3.5km wide peninsula, inhabited for almost a thousand years, is of volcanic origin, and has a profusion of rare plants and animals.
The village was founded in the Middle Ages when in 1055 King Andrew I founded a burial-place for the royal family and built a monastery here, where Benedictine monks were settled. The Abbey of Tihany was authorised in the 13th century to issue official deeds (locus authenticus). During the Turkish occupation in the 16-17th century, the monastery, which has been transformed into a fortress, was demolished. It was rebuilt in the baroque style in the 18th century and became a symbol of Tihany. A few years ago, the Benedictine monks were again put in charge of the monastery and the Abbey Museum.
One of the most cherished assets of Hungarian architecture, the crypt of King András I survived the turbulent past, and still stands in its original form. So did the charter of the abbey, the first written record of the Hungarian language. The present church was built over the crypt in the 18th century in the Baroque style, and has many precious wood carvings and lovely ceiling paintings. The Museum of the Benedictine Abbey houses an exhibition on the history of the church, a memorial room dedicated to King Károly IV (1916-18), the last Hungarian king and a lapidary collection of Roman and medieval stonework. There are frequent organ concerts in the church in summertime.

The 18th-century houses of the Open-air Ethnographic Museum, the traditional rural houses of Ófalu and the Potter’s House evoke the life of fishermen. The Puppet Museum is a romantic world of porcelain dolls and doll’s houses from 1850-1920.
The village is full of craft shops selling genuine and tasteful ceramics and fabrics made on the spot.
Natural beauties of the peninsula can be explored by taking the Lajos Lóczy pathway. Sights include wind-torn basalt rocks, a hermit’s niche carved from volcanic stone, the monk’s dwellings where Basilite monk settlers lived in the 11th century and the almond trees and lavender fields. From the natural lookouts of the peninsula - the Kiserdő top and the Golden House, the most beautiful view opens over the hundreds of geyser cones onto the Inner Lake, so loved by anglers, and the Outer Lake where tens of thousands of birds nest.

A ferry from one of the prettiest ports on Lake Balaton heads for Szántód, one mile from here, on the southern shore.